When the natural lens of the eye becomes cataractous, the natural lens may be replaced with an intraocular lens. The natural lens may also be replaced with an intraocular lens to correct other visual conditions, for example, to provide accommodation or pseudo-accommodation when presbyopia develops, which limits the focus capability of the eye on both distant objects and near objects. Accommodating and/or multifocal intraocular lenses may be used to restore at least some degree of accommodative or pseudo-accommodative ability. In general, accommodating intraocular lenses are configured to provide focus on objects over a range of distances (e.g., by axial displacement and/or by shape change in response to ocular forces, such as those produced by the ciliary muscle, zonules, and/or the capsular bag of the eye).
At times, the position of the intraocular lens within the eye may change after the insertion procedure has been completed. Additionally, inaccurate, pre-operative eye measurements (e.g., used to select the intraocular lens properties or position the same within the eye) may require changes to the position or effective refractive properties of the intraocular lens. U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,177 describes an intraocular lens having a fixation member with an alterable portion structured to be altered after the intraocular lens is placed in the eye. For example, a Nd:YAG laser is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,177 for producing a laser beam to break the alterable portion of the fixation member. The Nd:YAG crystal associated with this laser can typically generate a laser beam with a pulse width no shorter than about 10 picoseconds, which limits the type, degree, and precision of structure alteration.
It is desirable to provide improved methods and systems of modifying the position of in-situ intraocular devices (e.g., intraocular lenses positioned within the eye). It is also desirable to provide methods and systems for modifying the refractive profile of the eye via modification of in-situ intraocular devices. The term “refractive profile” is used herein to generally describe the optical properties associated with an eye, which may be determined by a variety of techniques including, by way of example and not limitation, wavefront determination In particular, it is desirable to provide an ophthalmic surgical system and a method of ophthalmic surgery for re-positioning an in-situ intraocular lens via precision alteration of one or more support elements. It is also desirable to provide an ophthalmic surgical system and a method of ophthalmic surgery for assembling separately implanted components of an in-situ intraocular device. Additionally, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.